The Kids Doctor - New Vaccine Schedule
By: Jacob Martin
Updated: February 20, 2013
The Center for Disease Control and the Advisory
Committee on Immunization practices recently released the new 2013 immunization
schedule. This should help make it easier for health care providers and parents
to follow the recommended vaccine schedules.
What's new? The
childhood vaccine schedule is now one simple list for children from birth to 18
years of age. A catch-up schedule was also released for any child who
fell behind in their vaccinations or may have started late.
More emphasis is being placed on children between 4 and
6 and early teen years. Also new? The
recommendation for pregnant moms including teen moms, to receive a TDAP vaccine
in their second or third trimester to protect their newborns from pertussis also
known as whooping cough.
Whooping cough cases have been on the rise with 41,000
cases reported in 2012. Infants up to
three months are at the greatest risk of dying from whooping cough because they
are too young to have immunity.
Remember, infectious diseases such as measles and whooping
cough are just a plane ride away and can be deadly. Talk to you pediatrician to make sure your
child's vaccines are up to date.
